2018 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part III - Limited Releases, Classics, Foreign Imports
December 13, 2018
The first instalment of our Holiday Gift Guide dealt with First-run Releases and the second instalment with, TV on DVD releases. The third installment of our Holiday Gift Guide deals with limited releases, classics, and foreign imports and this list can get out of hand rather quickly, so I will try and keep it to a dozen items or so, starting with...
For those who want my favorite movie of the year...
For those who want to run away to avoid Christmas...
For those who want a to runaway and are...
For those who like their Christmas a little black...
For those who like their political satire a little more domestic...
For those who want bizarre, but more psychedelic...
For those who liked Mandy, but want something lower budget...
For those who want to learn about an adult super hero...
For those who want to learn more about a hero from their childhoods...
For those who want a 50-year old film in the latest technology...
For those who think Canadians are so sweet...
For those who enjoy shorter films...
For those who like their shorts more historical...
For those who like their box sets historical for other reasons...
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Eighth Grade - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Description: Elsie Fisher plays Kayla, who is going into eighth grade and is struggling with fitting in.
Pros: One of the best movies of the year and already a player during Awards Season. Elsie Fisher gives an award-worthy performance as the awkward and very real teenager. Extras are good for a limited release.
Cons: It gets a little too awkward at times, which makes it uncomfortable to watch.
Leave No Trace - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Description: Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie play a father and daughter who lived off the grid for years. When they are eventually made to go to the city and deal with social services, they decide living in the woods is a better option.
Pros: One of the best films of the year and its Tomatometer Score is currently 100% positive. Additionally, it has picked up three Independent Spirit Awards and that likely won’t be the last of its major nominations.
Cons: There are not a lot of extras on the DVD / Blu-ray. There’s a making of featurette, behind-the-scenes, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery. That’s not bad for a limited release, but it is also not a major selling point.
Never Goin’ Back - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Description: Maia-Mitchell and Camila Morrone star as two of the dumbest characters to ever be captured on film. Okay, that’s overstating things a little, but these two are not smart.
Pros: I loved this movie for a number of reasons, top of that list is the chemistry between the two leads. I’m not alone in loving this movie; in fact, it earned an Independent Spirit Awards nomination. The extras on the DVD are better than most limited releases get, including a very fun audio commentary track.
Cons: It only got a DVD release and it is a stoner comedy, which will limit its target audience.
The Death of Stalin - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Description: The real life events following the death of Stalin, mostly. The chronological order isn’t exactly the same and the time frame has been compressed for dramatic effect. However, it is surprisingly accurate.
Pros: Its reviews are amazing and it is one of the best Black Comedies to come out in years. It features a ton of stellar performances and fans of the genre will likely absolutely love it.
Cons: It’s a black comedy, which limits its target audience. Also, there is only a making of featurette and some deleted scenes, which is not a lot of extras.
Sorry to Bother You - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Description: Boots Riley wrote and directed this political satire, which stars Lakeith Lee Stanfield as a man struggling to find work. He becomes a telemarketer, but it doesn’t look like he will succeed there either, until he learns to harness his “White Voice”.
Pros: This is one of the most bizarre movies you will see this year. I can’t think of a film that is more bizarre that got as wide a run at the box office. Extras are limited to an audio commentary track and an interview with the director. That’s not a lot, but better than most limited releases get.
Cons: It is bizarre enough that it limits its target audience.
Mandy - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Description: Nicolas Cage stars as a man after revenge when a drug-fueled cult kills his wife, Mandy.
Pros: Nicolas Cage doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to choosing movies, but he picked a hell of a project this time. Its reviews are excellent
Cons: It is really out there, which could turn off some viewers. Also, it only has a making of featurette and some deleted scenes as extras.
Molly - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Description: Julia Batelaan plays the titular Molly, a woman living in a post-apocalyptic world who is on the run from a warlord who wants her for his fighting pit.
Pros: It’s an intentional B-movie with an excellent lead actress and that helps it stand out in a genre where a character like hers would usually be killed to give a male character motivation. There are some great action scenes in the movie as well, relative to the budget. Extras include an audio commentary track and a 30-minute making of featurette.
Cons: It is a very low budget movie, so that’s going to effect certain aspects of the movie and that will also limited its target audience.
RBG - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Description: It’s a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It’s one of the biggest documentary hits of the year, and it’s been an amazing year for documentaries.
Pros: This is a stellar movie and could be an Oscar contender. There are a lot of additional / deleted / extended interviews on the DVD / Blu-ray.
Cons: The extras, while typical for documentary, are light compared to most other films.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Description: It’s a documentary about Mister Rogers, whose show was a key part of so many people’s childhood.
Pros: It is the biggest documentary hit of the year and is expected to pick up an Oscar nod for Best Documentary. It is much more emotional than most documentaries are. If you grew up on Mister Rogers, this film will make you cry.
Cons: There are absolutely no extras on the DVD / Blu-ray.
2001: A Space Odyssey - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Description: 2001: A Space Odyssey is a Sci-fi movie about a crew traveling to Jupiter for a mission. There are just two awake humans, and HAL 9000, the computer AI, which describes itself as “foolproof and incapable of error”. ... you can probably guess how true that is.
Pros: This is widely considered one of the best and most influential films of all time. It’s one of those films that even if you haven’t seen it, you will recognize much of it. It has aged really well, so well that it earn $1 million this year in limited release. There’s plenty of extras.
Cons: Its 4K release has been pushed back a couple of times and I’m worried it will be pushed back again.
What Keeps You Alive? - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Description: Two women, Jackie and Jules, travel to a cabin in the woods to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. However, while there, a secret one of them was hiding emerges, one that has the potential to change their relationship forever.
Pros: A Canadian thriller that earned great reviews, thanks to a sharp script, stylish direction, and excellent lead performances.
Cons: The lack of extras is disappointing.
Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Description: 13 short films / mini-movies directed by various folks over at Pixar.
Pros: There are a lot of great shorts in this collection, including three that earned Oscar nominations, one of which won. Each short has an intro and an audio commentary track, plus there is a making of featurette for Bao and a featurette on caricatures.
Cons: These short films have been released on Pixar DVDs / Blu-rays over the years, so the more Pixar films you own, the more of these you will already own. That said, the extras do add a lot of value.
The Complete Hal Roach Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly Comedy Collection - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Description: A three-disc DVD that includes all 21 shorts films starring Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly, as well as a couple of other Patsy Kelly shorts as extras.
Pros: These two were one of the best comedy duos of the era and before this DVD, these 80-year old shorts were really hard to see.
Cons: It’s only on DVD and there are no extras, besides the two bonus shorts.
Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Description: A six-disc set that contains over fifty films from the silent film era that were directed by women.
Pros: There is an unbelievable amount of value in this set. Not only are there a ton of historically significant films here, but there are extras like audio commentary tracks for select films, interviews, and a booklet with essays.
Cons: They are silent films, which will limit its target audience.
At this point, the list is getting out of hand, so lets call it a day. Next week we will talk about some books, music, and whatever else I missed from the first three parts.
Filed under: Holiday Gift Guide, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Death of Stalin, Mandy, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Sorry to Bother You, Leave No Trace, RBG, Eighth Grade, What Keeps You Alive, Never Goin’ Back, Molly, Nicolas Cage, David Cross, Ben Foster, Elsie Fisher, Andrea Riseborough, Boots Riley, Maia Mitchell, Brittany Allen, Thomasin McKenzie, Lakeith Lee Stanfield, Camila Morrone, Hannah Emily Anderson, Julia Batelaan